Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

Career Description: Operate or tend cooking equipment, such as steam cooking vats, deep fry cookers, pressure cookers, kettles, and boilers, to prepare food products.

Industry: Production

Other Job Titles for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Record production and test data, such as processing steps, temperature and steam readings, cooking time, batches processed, and test results.
• Listen for malfunction alarms, and shut down equipment and notify supervisors when necessary.
• Collect and examine product samples during production to test them for quality, color, content, consistency, viscosity, acidity, or specific gravity.
• Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingredients.
• Read work orders, recipes, or formulas to determine cooking times and temperatures, and ingredient specifications.
• Clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses.
• Set temperature, pressure, and time controls, and start conveyers, machines, or pumps.
• Tend or operate and control equipment such as kettles, cookers, vats and tanks, and boilers, to cook ingredients or prepare products for further processing.
• Measure or weigh ingredients, using scales or measuring containers.
• Admit required amounts of water, steam, cooking oils, or compressed air into equipment, such as by opening water valves to cool mixtures to the desired consistency.
• Remove cooked material or products from equipment.
• Notify or signal other workers to operate equipment or when processing is complete.
• Turn valves or start pumps to add ingredients or drain products from equipment and to transfer products for storage, cooling, or further processing.
• Place products on conveyors or carts, and monitor product flow.
• Pour, dump, or load prescribed quantities of ingredients or products into cooking equipment, manually or using a hoist.
• Activate agitators and paddles to mix or stir ingredients, stopping machines when ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
• Operate auxiliary machines and equipment, such as grinders, canners, and molding presses, to prepare or further process products.
• Formulate or modify recipes for specific kinds of food products.
• Inspect and pack the final product.
• Grade food products according to government regulations or according to type, color, bouquet, and moisture content.
• Cool food product batches on slabs or in water-cooled kettles.
• Operate refining machines to reduce the particle size of cooked batches.
• Modify cooking and forming operations based on the results of sampling processes, adjusting time cycles and ingredients to achieve desired qualities, such as firmness or texture.
• Place products on carts or conveyors to transfer them to the next stage of processing.
• Manipulate products, by hand or using machines, to separate, spread, knead, spin, cast, cut, pull, or roll products.
• Install, align, and adjust neck rings, press plungers, and feeder tubes.
• Couple air and gas lines to machines to maintain plasticity of material and to regulate solidification of final products.
• Measure arbors and dies to verify sizes specified on work tickets.
• Cut outlines of impressions with gravers, and remove excess material with knives.
• Fill etched characters with opaque paste to improve readability.
• Brush or wipe acid over engraving to darken or highlight inscriptions.
• Expose workpieces to acid to develop etch patterns such as designs, lettering, or figures.

Emerging Tasks

• Conduct employee training, including demonstrating equipment operations and work and safety procedures to new employees, or assign employees to experienced workers for training.
• Keep records of employees' attendance and hours worked.
• Recommend or execute personnel actions such as hirings, evaluations, and promotions.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• adjust production equipment/machinery setup
• clean equipment or machinery
• examine products or work to verify conformance to specifications
• load or unload material or workpiece into machinery
• load, unload, or stack containers, materials, or products
• maintain consistent production quality
• maintain production or work records
• measure, weigh, or count products or materials
• monitor production machinery/equipment operation to detect problems
• operate food processing production equipment/machinery
• operate hoist, winch, or hydraulic boom
• perform safety inspections in manufacturing or industrial setting
• read work order, instructions, formulas, or processing charts
• signal directions or warnings to coworkers
• understand food processing directions
• use precision measuring tools or equipment
• explain rules, policies or regulations
• explain work orders, specifications, or work techniques to workers
• maintain file of job openings
• maintain inventory of office equipment or furniture
• maintain job descriptions
• maintain production or work records
• maintain records, reports, or files
• manage inventories or supplies
• modify work procedures or processes to meet deadlines
• monitor production machinery/equipment operation to detect problems
• monitor worker performance
• motivate workers to achieve work goals
• orient new employees
• oversee work progress to verify safety or conformance to standards
• prepare or maintain employee records
• prepare reports
• read blueprints
• read technical drawings
• read work order, instructions, formulas, or processing charts
• recommend improvements to work methods or procedures
• requisition stock, materials, supplies or equipment
• resolve or assist workers to resolve work problems
• resolve personnel problems or grievances
• schedule activities, classes, or events
• schedule employee work hours
• set up production equipment or machinery
• understand second language
• understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
• use oral or written communication techniques
• use precision measuring devices in mechanical repair work
• use precision measuring tools or equipment
• use soldering equipment
• use technical information in manufacturing or industrial activities
• verify levelness or verticality, using level or plumb bob
• weld together metal parts, components, or structures

Overall Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a teller might benefit from experience working directly with the public, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be a teller with little difficulty.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.

Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.

Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include sheet metal workers, forest fire fighters, customer service representatives, pharmacy technicians, salespersons (retail), and tellers.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$10.78
• Average annual wage (2007) - $22,420.00

• Employment (2006): 44,393

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